CEEDAR, AACTE Working to Engage Educators for All Students

Last month, we were honored to participate and speak at a convening to support teacher educators in their work to prepare teachers to educate all learners, including students with disabilities. At the meeting in Indianapolis in August, the University of Florida’s Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center convened educator preparation leaders from the center’s partner states to support their shared reform agenda.

Participants discussed leverage points for engaging the broader profession in the education of all students. Suggestions included having AACTE partner with CEEDAR to offer webinars on topics such as structured tutoring, and creating purposeful dialogue between PK-12 schools and educator preparation programs about specific strategies for addressing the needs of every learner. Participants were committed to the ideal of collaborating across the school-university divide in pursuit of what is best for all learners.

AACTE is a national partner for the CEEDAR Center, which helps states and institutions of higher education to reform educator preparation programs, licensure standards, personnel evaluation systems, and policy structures and professional learning systems—all in the interest of developing the ability of every teacher to prepare students with disabilities for college and careers. With $25 million in support from the U.S. Department of Education, CEEDAR is providing intensive technical assistance to 20 partner states to achieve these ambitious reforms.

AACTE looks forward to continuing its partnership with CEEDAR, including a presence at AACTE’s 2016 Annual Meeting and Leadership Academy. We are excited about taking our collaboration to a new level in the coming year.